Bluff bodybuilder is top fitness bikini athlete
She found herself committing to fitness and bodybuilding as it fulfilled her
AS the current title holder for fitness bikini athlete over 35 years, Bluff bodybuilding ace Elsa Branco is living proof that hard work and dedication can make anything achieveable.
Elsa chose fitness as her path a year ago when she was approached by her coach while training at gym.
At first she rejected his offer to train her but eventually gave in.
“I have noticed how this has helped me realise who I am and it gave me the confidence to participate in the sport,” she said.
“It broke down my mental barriers and challenges I faced. I was then introduced to a sports coach Soren Gibbons who took me under his wing and taught me about form and longevity of fitness,” said Branco.
She found herself committing to fitness and bodybuilding as it fulfilled her and as months went by, she realised how much she loved the pay-off.
Bluff bodybuilder is top fitness bikini athlete
When she is not training every day, Elsa is hard at work as a personal assistant for the National Prosecuting Authority. The mother of one said bodybuilding is a healthy addiction as it promotes healthy living. “Diet is everything – if you cannot feed your muscles, then there is no point. Everybody has a different process so it is ideal to find a coach who you have a good relationship with and who knows your body and what it needs,” she said.
Being a mother of a nine-year-old son, she has noticed how her lifestyle change has influenced her son. “I catch him doing poses and some exercises. It makes me so proud that he took the initiative from my example to stay healthy. He even chooses to eat healthy without a fuss,” she chuckled.
READ:Â Clairwood bodybuilder wins first title
“I was driven and I always showed up for workouts and was very determined to accomplish everything through fitness. I proved to myself that anything is possible and that’s what passion is. When my coach Soren introduced me to fitness bikini athlete, from this point I set further goals,” she said.
On Saturday, 24 March she participated her first competition in the IFBB KZN Ironman 2018, where she achieved first place among fitness bikini athletes over 35. She is currently training to compete in a provincial show on 1 September at the Playhouse Durban. Depending on that outcome, she could proceed to compete in the SA national championship from 13 to 16 September in Port Elizabeth.
“I must give special thanks to my coach Soren Gibbons who believed in me and assisted me with my fitness endeavours and to Ben Myburgh (photographer) for creating and capturing those moments,” she added.
Elsa’s bodybuilding diet:Â
On waking
Supplements: 5 grams Branched-Chain Amino Acid (BCCA), 3 grams leucine
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Meal 1
4 egg whites
40 grams oats
Add cinnamon - Meal 2
100 grams chicken breast (cooked weight)
120 grams broccoli
80 grams basmati rice - Meal 3
1 tin of tuna
80 grams basmati rice
100 grams spinach - Meal 4
1 scoop whey
Five almonds - Intra/Post-Workout
1 serving bcaa, 5 grams glutamine, 3 grams leucine - Meal 5 (60 minutes post-training)
100 grams lean mince
100 grams green veg
100 grams sweet potato - Meal 6 (before bed)
30 grams whey protein
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Multi vitamin 1 per day
Daily vitamins
Vitamin C 1000mg per day
CLA soft gels 1 twice daily with lunch and dinner
ZMA before bed
Digestive enzyme 1 with breakfast, lunch and dinner
probiotic 1 with breakfast, lunch and dinner
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